The Buddy System
by Mokibobolink
Summary: Wash and Mal find themselves cut off from the rest of the crew and pursued by bounty hunters. When both are injured they must find ways to work together and survive long enough to get home. Not Slash
1. Chapter 1

_Hello All, _

_Here's the first chapter of my next story. Sorry for the long delay but things have been a mite busy since the holidays. I had some trouble finding a good starting point for this one so I hope y'all like it. Enjoy and please R&R!_

_-Moki_

_------------------------_

A great battle was being waged in the Serenity cockpit. Two mortal enemies faced each other as they had many times before and both wore wounds from this and previous tussles. Each circled round the other, ready to strike again if their opponent wavered for even a moment. Such a fight had yet to be seen on this ship and that was saying something considering how many battles she had seen on her decks. Much blood had been spilled in her gullet but none like that which would be evident when these two were done with each other.

Suddenly one of the combatants charged and being just a mite quicker than the other was able to get the upper hand. Within seconds the unlucky one found himself down and unable to move as the faster of the two now pinned him to the ground.

The pinned warrior snarled and growled as he tried to wrestle out from the other's mighty grip. But the one on top was now taking full advantage of his position and didn't give in one tiny bit and instead increased his grip on the other, causing the downed combatant to begin to weaken.

Just when it seemed like the battle was over Captain Mal walked in and ruined the whole gorram thing.

"Wash!" Mal hollered.

Jumping about six feet out of his chair, Wash cursed a rather round oath in Chinese. Knowing full well he'd been caught red-handed he still tried hastily to put away the toy dinosaurs that had so recently been battling to the death. This caused more unwanted attention as both dropped to the floor in his clumsy attempt to put them back on the console. The resulting clatter only made Mal to stare harder at his recalcitrant pilot with hands on hips and one boot tapping on the deck impatiently.

"What in the gorram hell do you think you're doing? Near as I can tell we're about to hit atmo and I come in here to find you fussin' with those gorram toys?" Mal growled.

"Sorry Mal," Wash said sheepishly but not exactly guiltily. "You know I can fly this ship with one hand so there's really no need to make a fuss."

"Well it might be that you have the learnin' to fly my boat one-handed but I can't reckon how it is you think you can fly with NO hands" Mal was not really angry and both of them knew it but he still had to act "captain-y" from time to time to remind everyone who was boss. With that proper show of the chain of command Mal sat down in the co-pilot's chair and relaxed as Wash got to work setting the landing sequence.

As Wash worked, he thought about how much had changed between himself and Mal since their awful visit with Niska not that long ago. An involuntary shudder ran down his spine as he thought of the torture that he and Mal endured at that man's hands. But ever since then things were better and perhaps he should be grateful for that. Not that he and Mal ever fought or were antagonistic towards each other. But there was no denying that there had always been something a little awkward between them after he and Zoe began dating and finally fell in love and got married.

But that time on Niska's space station had done something for them. They were tortured within an inch of their lives. But it was as if when the screams were torn from their beaten bodies, so had been the ridge lying silently between them. Wash knew that Mal had continued the conversation about Zoe to keep him alive but he didn't think that Mal knew what that quick thinking would do for them in the future. He was sure that Mal hadn't been thinking much beyond the immediate future of that moment, which had been simply to stay alive.

As they fought and shouted they also writhed and screamed in agony. Agony that was not only physical but mental as well. Brought about by the pain each man felt for not being able to have the entirety of the woman they both loved, separately and differently. Zoe needed both of them in her life and both of them knew it. Yet both of them had secretly resented the other for it. What they finally were able to do, at the hands of the little man who brought them such pain, was to get it all out in the open finally. Maybe thinking that they might die that day had made them brave enough at last to voice what each had wanted to say to the other man.

Zoe needed both of them in her life because each of them fulfilled different needs and neither could do what both could do together. In Wash Zoe got a lover, a friend and someone who brought her happiness and laughter. In Mal she had a leader, a confidant and someone who helped her to stay and strong and tenacious. In many ways Wash and Mal were like two halves of one man. At least what would be one man for Zoe. Other women might be able to find the same man to fulfill all her needs but Zoe wasn't built like that. She could never have a man be a part of what made her so strong and then be his lover and giggle with him when they were in the privacy of their bunk.

Zoe knew this all along but it took Wash and Mal awhile to figure it out on their own. Now that they had they were better friends for it. No longer was there this indescribable _something _preventing the two men from having a friendship that they both wanted and in fact, needed.

So it was with complete trust and comfort that the two of them sat in silence on the bridge of Serenity. Mal idly watched the stars outside and Wash continued to flip switches, bringing the ship down into the planet's atmosphere.

"So," Mal said after awhile finally. "Do you think the girls are gonna enjoy having all us menfolk gone for a little while and havin' the ship all to themselves?"

"Well," Wash replied. "To be fair they're not exactly going to be without ALL the menfolk. After all Simon will still be here"

Mal just stared at him and Wash laughed.

"Oh c'mon Mal, be nice!" Wash said.

"I ain't being mean I'm just being truthful" Mal replied. "That boy is a fine doc but it ain't like they're gonna have any protection with just him around."

"Oh yeah right," Wash replied. "Like with Zoe on board anyone needs protecting. Besides do you think I'd be any better?"

"Well maybe you got a point there," Mal replied with a wry grin. "Perhaps the girls'll be better off with the doc on board than they would with our very own coward of a pilot."

"Very funny," Wash replied laughingly, not taking any offence. Wash not being much of a warrior was well known but it was also well known that when the going got tough, tough got Wash.

Mal would never forget that it was Wash who decided to come back to Niska's station to rescue him and took the whole crew with him when he did it. Grinning snidely at his pilot, he got up out of the co-pilot's seat.

"I'm gonna go check on shuttle two. Your bags all packed?" Mal asked as he rose.

"Yep, did that last night. Just gotta get them out of my bunk." Wash replied.

"Good. See you down there" Mal said on his way out.

Wash continued with the landing sequence and thought about how he would miss his ship (and his wife too of course) for the next few days. Every four years a registered pilot had to get re-tested to keep their license up to date. While it was true that Mal's crew tended to do more clandestine than legitimate work, an actual licensed pilot was still necessary many times. When they did happen upon some work that would put them into Alliance territory they had to have all their paperwork in order. That included Wash's pilot's license. Truthfully Wash didn't mind much. Going to the testing facilities and getting a chance to hang with other pilots, tell stories and learn some new techniques always piqued his interest. So while he would miss his ship and everyone on it, he was happy to get out for a little on his own.

Mal had timed it so that they could take Serenity to dry dock while Wash was getting licensed. Kaylee was as happy as she could be as for next few days she would have a crew helping her to get Serenity back into tip-top shape. It was a constant struggle in their line of work to keep the ship in working order and Kaylee was always jury-rigging things together on the fly. But they had some great jobs recently and Mal was paying for some real work to be done to their beloved ship.

Shepherd Book had decided to go on sabbatical while the ship was docked and they had dropped him off a couple days earlier on an outer planet to convene with some of his Order. Jayne had figured that if the ship was down and most everyone was leaving then he would too. As soon as they landed he was heading off to a brothel near the docks. No one expected to see him for at least a few days, or until his money ran out. Whichever came first.

Simon and River couldn't really travel anywhere considering they were fugitives and all so they were simply going to stay aboard. Inara had decided to take a vacation of sorts herself and purposely didn't book any clients on this planet. She was going to stay aboard with all the girls (and Simon) as a bit of a holiday. The girls were all pretty excited about having the ship pretty much to themselves.

As for himself, Mal was going to hitch a ride with Wash in shuttle two to the other side of the planet and meet up with some old friends. When he found out that Wash's training was to take place on this planet and near to some old war buddies, he called them up and arranged to meet. Once Wash was done he would meet up with Mal and they would both head back to Serenity. All in all, everyone was looking forward to their vacations.


	2. Chapter 2

_Hello all, _

_Well here is chapter two. I hope you like it! Thanks for all the reviews!_

_-Moki_

_--------------_

Mal walked into shuttle two and went to start the take-off sequence when he found that someone was already beating him to it.

"Morning, Captain," Zoe said. She continued making adjustments to her board as Mal stood by and he could see that she was almost done. Glancing on the floor behind her feet he saw Wash's bag sitting there and knew she must have brought it for her husband.

Mal smiled as he thought about the benefits of marriage. While it was true that Zoe and Wash shared anything but a "typical" marriage (if there was such a thing), they definitely took care of each other in their own way. This is why he knew that Zoe would never have meekly packed her husband's bag with some sort of sense of proper wifely duties. But bringing it to the shuttle for him and doing the pre-flight check to save her husband some time; that was simply a kindness that showed just how much she cared.

_Not that I'm ready to settle down with anyone just yet_. Mal thought as he sat down in the co-pilot's chair. Seeing two people making a marriage work so well, and admiring it, was one thing. Thinking of doing the same thing himself, something else entirely and not something he was ready for yet. Nope, he was happy having a ship to fly and a crew for a family. Best leave the real stuff for them that could handle it.

"Pre-flight is done, Captain," Zoe said suddenly, snapping Mal out of his thoughts. "Need anything else?"

"Nope and thanks," Mal replied. "I'll just get my bag and then I think your husband and I will be off on our merry way and leave all you girls on your lonesome"

Zoe nodded and walked off, purposely avoiding the bait and not pointing out (again) that Simon was staying aboard. He kept making that tired joke but no one was really falling for it anymore. Unfortunately Captain Mal sometimes didn't know the difference between "funny" and "annoying". Simon didn't mind and she was pretty sure she heard him laugh at it. _Well, maybe the first three or four times the Captain said it, _Zoe thought.

By the time Mal got his bag from his bunk and walked back into shuttle two, Wash was there and everyone had pretty much already said their goodbyes. With a quick hug for Kaylee and a couple last-minute orders for Zoe, Mal was ready to go in no time and the two men took off.

They flew only for a few minutes but covered many miles, passing over barren and dry desert land. Once they reached the docks, Wash landed them easily and shut down with a few practiced flips of various switches.

"Alright, Captain," Wash said as he got his things together. "She's all yours for the next couple days. Think you can handle her?" Wash asked with a wicked grin.

"You know, just because you're a great pilot doesn't give you the right to be making fun of my piloting skills," Mal said as the two of them headed off the shuttle together. Their boots clanged noisily on the ramp as they headed for solid ground. "I'll have you know that the only reason I hired a pilot is because I was too lazy to fly, not because I couldn't"

They were outside now and both men paused for a moment to enjoy the fresh air. It didn't seem to matter to either of them that said air was saturated with fuel from all the nearby craft. It was still open air and they both appreciated it.

As soon as the obligatory breath was taken, they continued the good-natured ribbing. This time it was Wash's turn.

"Oh really?" Wash queried. "Well then I'll have you know that I could take over your captain duties anytime I want. I've just decided not to show you up so that you won't be embarrassed in front of the rest of the crew."

As one they walked down the row between all the other ships and headed towards the nearest bar. It was 6:00pm local time and Wash didn't have to report to the flight school until the morning. So they had decided to have a few drinks before Mal would have to leave to meet up with his old buddies.

They stopped ribbing each other long enough to settle down at the bar and order a couple drinks. Taking a quick look around the bar, Wash spotted a pool table in the back.

"How about a game?" Wash asked and nodded towards the back of the room. Mal followed Wash's eyes and spotting the table, turned back to his pilot.

"Oh, you're on Little Man," Mal replied.

"Don't call me that," Wash said with a cringe. "You know I hate it when Jayne calls me that."

"Yep," Mal said noncommittally and not the least bit guiltily.

A couple hours later, Wash and Mal were enjoying a great game of pool with some friendly locals. The other two fellows were getting happily more and more drunk by the minute and Wash and Mal were trouncing them royally in the game. Mal bought another round and winked at Wash surreptitiously as he did so.

"A few more beers and these boys are gonna lose," Mal said with a snide smile. They had a very large bet going and Wash grinned as he realized why Mal had been so quick to volunteer to buy the other guys so many beers. Spinning his pool cue expertly in his fingers, Wash headed over to take another shot.

The locals were certainly tipsy and as Wash tried to take his shot one of them bumped into him again. He laughed though and shrugged off the other man's attempts at an apology. The other man had already bumped into Mal but neither minded as it didn't seem to be intentional and even if it were, they still were losing. Wash and Mal hadn't lost many shots yet, bumping or not.

The evening wore on and soon Wash started to feel the effects of so many beers himself. He could tell Mal was feeling the same way as the other man was laughing more easily than he had in a while. They were both enjoying the evening very much.

Wash leaned over to take his next shot but stopped when the balls began moving on their own. Puzzled he realized that actually it was he that was moving and grabbed onto the side of the table to stay upright. As he did so he wondered why the room had started spinning and when exactly they were planning on stopping it.

That was the last thought Wash had for awhile.

--

Wash woke up suddenly to the sound of cruel laughter.

"Wakey, wakey, eggs and bakey", A man's voice was saying over his head. Not liking the sound of that Wash immediately tried to open his eyes and get up but found that his hands were tied behind his back and he was blindfolded. He couldn't believe this was happening to him again. How many times in his life was he going to be tied and blindfolded? To add insult to injury his head hurt like hell and he realized he must have been drugged. He wondered where Mal was but decided to stay quiet for the moment. If Mal was hurt he wasn't going to do him any good being beaten (or worse) by his captors so he waited to see if he could figure out what was happening.

"You two were hard to find together you know", the voice was saying and now Wash recognized it as one of their pool-playing buddies from the bar.

"Yeah", the voice of the second pool player chimed in. "We knew that we could probably get just Reynolds but since we were gonna get more for the both of ya we waited. Gorram if you two don't never go out together. What's the matter, trouble at home?" Wash could hear the sneer in the man's voice.

"Well you know how relationships are," Wash was delighted to hear Mal's voice reply. "I mean you gotta work at'em and sometimes you gotta be apart to make the heart grow fonder"

Wash heard a light scraping on his left and knew that Mal must be getting to his feet. Deciding that it was pointless to play possum any longer, he rose as well. Using the wall behind him for support he was able to get to his feet with a minimum of awkwardness. As he did so he heard Mal speak up again.

"Now if you two are unhappy about the game last night I'm sure my man and I would be happy to oblige with a re-match. Wouldn't we Wash?" Mal asked and as he spoke Wash was able to pretty much locate him in the room. Walking towards Mal's voice, feeling each step carefully as he went, he was standing next to him within seconds.

"Sure," Wash replied jovially. "I mean just because we trounced you guys once doesn't necessarily mean we'll do it again. How about we go for double or nothing?" Wash asked.

"How about we don't?" one of their captors replied and Wash was immediately sorry for the comment as he felt a rifle barrel knock him square in the gut. He staggered from the blow and would have gone down if not for Mal stepping into him and allowing Wash to lean into his shoulder for support.

"You best not be knocking around a member of my crew if you know what's good for you," Mal replied with a touch of venom. Wash pulled himself upright but not before he felt Mal's whole body go rigid with anger. Anyone who messed with Mal's crew was in for a trouncing, even those that did the messing were part of the crew themselves.

"We'll do what we like with the both of ya and ain't nothin' neither of you can do about it," The second of the two voices replied. They were getting easier to tell apart as the second man had a voice that squeaked like a cat.

"Shut up the two of ya!" The first voice ordered.

Mal immediately turned his attention to the one who gave the order. He couldn't see but he made sure that he faced the man as dead-on as he could. "Alright so why don't you just tell us what you all want and we can all get back to our lives"

Wash heard the silence that followed that request and wondered at it. Surely if these two goons had gone to this much trouble they must have a reason for it. Why were they being so quiet now?

Finally the obvious leader of the two spoke again. "Well you two are just gonna sit tight for a mite bit and then you'll be on your way again. Once your ride gets here that is"

There was a snigger from the second man and Wash's heart crept into his throat at the sound of it. Why did he get the feeling that their "ride" wasn't going to be pleasant?

"I think you're gonna have to tell us more than that," Mal said.

"And why exactly would we do that?" The leader asked snidely.

"Well seems to me that you two are just holding onto us for someone else I reckon. In which case I don't think they'd be that pleased if we were damaged in any way" Mal had stepped forward now and was almost face to face with the leader. Blindfold or no, the other man was finding the captain's presence a little daunting.

"So," Mal continued. "Either you tell us what's going on or I'm going to go ahead and let my man here know that it's okay to start fighting our way out."

Wash really, really didn't like the sound of that but decided it was best to simply look tough. After all these two had no way of knowing that Wash wasn't a part of Mal's mercenary crew and just the lowly pilot.

The two men laughed harshly. "Why should we care about that?"

"Well I ain't saying that we'll get out and in fact I'm thinking we won't," Mal replied. "But we might just get damaged in the process. Heck one of us might even get himself killed and something tells me that whoever wants us wouldn't want that."

_Bingo_, Wash thought. There was no denying the silence that came this time. Mal had definitely struck a nerve and now these two were in a quandary, no doubt about it. Wash heard shuffling and muffled whispers as the two consulted each other quickly.

"Fine," the leader said. "We're to hold you here until the bounty hunter gets here. Then we hand you over and we get our money. Are you happy now?"

"Who's the bounty hunter?" Mal asked. "Oh and don't think of not telling me. I can still issue my other plan you know."

Wash had no idea what Mal's "other" plan was but he sure hoped it was good. The fact that neither he nor Mal really wanted to die seemed to be something these two hadn't thought of yet. Wash was beginning to wonder if these two maybe weren't the smartest guys in the world.

"Earlray Quarton" the leader finally replied.

_Yep, definitely not smart_, Wash thought.

"But that's all your getting' out of us so you just stay put like good little boys now," The leader said quickly and Wash heard the two of them leave the room.

"Wash," Mal whispered urgently from somewhere on his right.

"Yeah?" Wash replied.

"Come here and let's see if we can't get these ropes off," Mal said and Wash walked over to where his ears led him. After a few seconds of fumbling the two men ended up back to back and Mal started working on Wash's binds. After a minute or two of fumbling and grumbling Wash finally decided to try himself.

"Hang on,' he said. "Let me see if I can get you untied first."

Mal stopped working immediately and held his hands still for Wash. Fingers made extremely dexterous by years of flying won out over the strength of a mercenary and Wash had Mal free within a few seconds.

"Knew I kept you around for something," Mal said as way of thanks and once he was untied quickly took off his blindfold and then Wash's. Being able to see now, he immediately started on Wash's ties and was able to get him loose in almost no time.

"So?" Wash asked his captain. "Now what?"

"Now," Mal replied happily. "I figure out how to get us out of here."


	3. Chapter 3

_Hello all!_

_Here's another chapter! Sorry for the delay and I hope you all like it! More to come soon!_

_-Moki_

_-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------_

Mal quickly took stock of where he and Wash were trapped. He walked from wall to wall and felt everything he could touch from the floor to the ceiling, trying to figure out where they were. It was his nose however that finally gave him a definitive clue and Wash was surprised as he watched Mal quickly sniff the air knowingly.

Wash held up his hands. "Hey if you're about to accuse me of something then I only have one thing to say."

Mal eyed him questioningly.

"Whoever smelt it dealt it," Wash said with a shrug. Mal's only response was to roll his eyes and then head purposefully for the only door. Wash really didn't know why Mal had made such a fuss looking all over the room if he was just going to end up trying to get out of the door anyway. Seemed like such a waste but then again he knew his knowledge of such things was really quite limited.

"Come here Wash. I think I may need your nimble fingers again. Be quick but quiet now," Mal said as he gestured for Wash to join him. Wash walked up to the door but really didn't know what there was for him to do and looked at Mal with one eyebrow raised in silent query.

"Alright so here's the deal. Now I was hoping that we could find an easier and less conspicuous way out but I'm thinking that this here door is our only bet," Mal said as he gestured to the door next to him.

"We gotta get out of here fast but we also need to be doing it real quiet-like. Now these boys, I don't think are anyone to worry about but that man they mentioned, well he's a different story," Mal continued in a hushed voice, his ear slightly cocked to the wall and listening carefully even as he spoke.

"Why? Do you know who that bounty hunter is?" Wash asked. When the men had mentioned a bounty hunter Wash had just figured that some previous (and less than legal) job had caught up with them. He wasn't sure why they had mentioned wanting himself as well as Mal but he had just figured he had been named as the pilot. But the way Mal was looking at him made Wash think his theory just might hold about as much water as a fishing net.

"Well I don't know him but I know the name, that's a fact," Mal said and Wash got the distinct feeling that his captain was purposely not saying something.

"What Mal? Who is this guy? What does he want from us?" Wash asked anxiously and was quickly shushed by a fierce gesture from Mal. Wash lowered his voice but wasn't about to give up finding out what he needed to know now. Zoe sometimes called him a mule because he was pretty darn stubborn when he wanted to be and right now he wanted to be.

"Who does he work for?" Wash asked very quietly but without any doubt that he expected to be answered.

Mal hadn't wanted to mention anything to his friend about who was most definitely after them but gorram if Wash wasn't making it impossible to keep the information to himself. Hesitating for a minute and trying to come up with something, anything, else to say other than the truth he finally sighed and resigned himself to his fate. Wishing with all his might that he could say something else he finally answered his anxious pilot's inquiry. In a voice barely above a whisper Mal replied with one word and one word only.

"Niska"

Wash's hands began to sweat immediately and he knew that all the color had drained from his face. He didn't really like seeing the reaction this brought about in Mal but there wasn't a whole heck of a lot he could do about it. Now he knew why Mal had been a mite shy about mentioning the name but somehow that didn't help much. The last thing in the world Wash wanted was to end up in that man's hands again. Not unless he had the whole crew behind him and a few weapons to boot. The thought of being dragged back there and the torture that surely would follow...

"Hey!" Mal whispered angrily, shaking Wash slightly by the shoulder to break him out of his thoughts.

"We're gonna get ourselves outta here, you hear me?" Mal asked, looking straight into Wash's eyes.

Wash could only nod and swallow with a throat that felt like sandpaper.

"Alright then so now I need you to reach through here and see if you can feel a long bolt on the other side of this here door," Mal ordered and pointed to where the door was split in two. Wash hadn't even noticed the fact that the door was actually two doors, one on top of the other. He put his hand into the opening and started feeling around.

"Strange door," he remarked as his hands slid across the wood and he felt the tips of his fingers reach outside. "Why is it split like this do you think?"

"My dear pilot, haven't you figured out where we are yet?" Mal asked with a grin. When Wash gave him a look that proved he really hadn't, Mal almost laughed.

"We're in a stable. Those two louts locked us up in a converted stall," Mal replied.

It was only then that Wash noticed the subtle clues to their location, like the fact that the floor was dirt. Also there had been a smell he hadn't quite been able to put his finger on and he realized now what it was. Horses. Mal must have known right away as he'd been raised on a farm. It wasn't an unpleasant smell as the barn was thankfully clean but there was no denying that it was definitely there.

"I reckon they thought that since we were tied and blindfolded they could put us in an old stall and we wouldn't get out," Mal said happily as he watched Wash continue to work his way towards the outer bolt on the upper door. "But they were wrong. Now you see a horse wouldn't be able to do it and if'n I was here on my lonesome I'd probably have to find a stick or something but I knew you'd be able to reach across and…"

Mal's speech was interrupted as Wash finally was able to get a finger under the bolt and with a satisfying click he pulled it aside. The top door of the stall was now unlocked.

Putting a finger to his lips Mal carefully pushed against the heavy wood and they both winced as the old hinges gave a squeak of protest. Listening carefully they heard nothing from outside except for a snort somewhere down the barn's long aisle. Apparently they weren't the only tenants inside at the moment.

Mal held up a finger to his lips warningly and started walking slowly making his way out the door. Looking carefully up and down the barn aisle he headed to the right and was out of Wash's sight within seconds.

His captain's warning to be quiet had been unnecessary as Wash found himself completely frozen where he stood. Now that the door was open, Wash was suddenly very afraid of what might happen if that were caught. Would Niska hurt them more if he knew they tried to escape? Did it really matter if he was only going to kill them anyway? Wash couldn't help thinking both of these things though neither thought helped him in the least bit.

Mal's head suddenly popped back into the stall's open doorway right in front of Wash's eyes; nearly giving him the fright of his life.

"You coming?" Mal asked but didn't wait for an answer and Wash watched as he disappeared yet again.

Finally deciding that moving with horrible thoughts going through his mind was better than standing still with horrible thoughts going through his mind; Wash put one foot in front of the other. He followed Mal to the end of the barn and they both stopped as they reached the heavy double doors that were closed firmly. These doors, however, had a handle able to be manipulated from inside or out. Mal slowly turned it (with a slight wince as it creaked briefly) and opened the left side of the door. Peering outside he held up a hand; signaling Wash to stay put while he had a look around.

More than happy to oblige his captain at the moment, Wash stayed as he was just inside the heavy barn doors. A minute went by, then another and finally about the time that Wash started to worry that something might have happened; Mal reappeared.

Walking quickly and silently back into the barn, Mal gave his pilot an update on their plight.

"Looks like we're on a small homestead. I only saw the one house, about 40 meters from here, and another outbuilding near the edge of the trees. That's it." As he spoke, Mal started heading towards the other end of the stable, forcing Wash to follow.

"Do you think we can make it out of here then?" Wash asked nervously as he paced behind Mal's retreating back. He didn't know where Mal thought he was going but he had little choice but to keep up.

"Yep, that you can count on," Mal replied and suddenly stopped in front of the doorway at the end of the aisle. Wash figured he must have found what he was looking for as the other man reached for the door without hesitation.

"We just need the right kind of transportation," Mal continued as he opened the door confidently, sliding it open almost with a flourish. Like a magician revealing his latest masterpiece of illusion.

Wash's first thought was that somehow Mal had found a shuttle or maybe even a mule (wheeled or flying, didn't matter to him). He looked in the room the other man had just opened with some hope but felt it ebb right back out of him at when he saw what lay inside.

"Oh, no," Wash began to protest but Mal interrupted him before he had a chance to say anything else.

"What? You got a better solution?" Mal asked with a sly grin.

"Yeah," Wash replied, still refusing to step into the open doorway. It was as if he knew that if he walked in that door he would be agreeing with Mal's rather obvious plan. He didn't want to do that so he held his ground right where he was.

"How about we look around and see if we can't find us a vehicle of some kind and just fly right on out of here?" Wash asked with all the confidence of someone who knew he could do just that.

"Well Pilot," Mal said. "I've already had me a look-see around this here place and there ain't no other way than this," he nodded inside as he spoke and Wash looked in again but still said nothing.

"Think about it Wash, " Mal said convincingly. "Have you even heard one ship go by in the time we've been here? A shuttle? Anything?"

Wash had to admit to himself that the captain was right. The atmosphere had been completely silent since the moment he'd regained consciousness; not a sound at all. There were no ships around but it didn't mean that he still wanted to go along with what Mal had in mind.

"You wanna get out of here or don't ya?" Mal asked and waited while his pilot regarded him silently for a few moments. Finally deciding that they had very little choice; Wash gave in and followed his captain into the room.

"Good," Mal said. "Now take this and follow me."

Wash took what was handed to him and then waited while Mal gathered up a few more things. Then he followed the captain out of the room and down the barn aisle once again. Mal stopped after a few paces and turned to Wash with a smile.

"This will do," he said happily to his dour pilot. "This will do mighty fine." With that Mal opened another stall door.

With a sigh of imminent resignation, Wash shifted the heavy saddle in his arms and watched as Mal walked into the stall and started talking softly to its occupant.

_Guess we're going for a ride_, Wash thought.


	4. Chapter 4

_Hello All! Sorry for the delay! I mean really, really sorry because well….it was a really, really long delay. Life got in the way of writing once again but here is the next chapter and I've already got part of the next one written so I'm hoping to actually finish this one soon. Thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed, I'm very happy that so many of you like this story. _

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With speed born from years of practice Mal quickly saddled up the first horse. Handing the reins to Wash, he practically jogged to the next stall and began the same process on a second mount.

Wash stood holding the first horse and noted that Mal seemed to be planning for a long trip. Two full water canteens were strapped to the front of the saddle and a peek inside each of his saddle bags showed protein blocks enough to last for a couple days at least. There was also a blanket roll and as Wash walked his mount closer to the other stall he saw that Mal's animal was similarly stocked. As soon as he thought they couldn't carry anything else, Mal went into the tackroom one more time and returned with a few more items. He had found two pistols and gave one to Wash, he also found a couple rifles and bullets for all of the weapons.

"How long do you expect us to be riding?" Wash asked as Mal was finishing up with his mount.

"Two, maybe three days max," Came a reply from somewhere underneath the horse's belly. Mal's head popped into view again as he tightened the cinch on his horse's saddle.

"Two or three days? Where are we going?" Wash asked a little loudly, causing his mount to snort in surprise.

"Easy now, Wash," Mal admonished. "Don't be yelling and carrying on around horses now. These here are flight animals; which means that if they get scared they run. Now near as I can tell the town we just came from is on the other side of some hills I spotted when I poked my head out." He was finished now and started walking his horse out into the aisle, Wash following behind.

"Those hills ain't near as close as they look so I'm thinking we have a bit of a ride ahead of us. But don't you worry none," he said as Wash's face began to show signs of concern again. "If we get ahead of these boys, they won't be able to catch us. I've got me some learnin' on tracking and I know how to fool one if I have to."

Stopping at the end of the aisle, Mal checked the gear on both horses and then opened the door quietly. Looking around he saw exactly what he'd hope to see. The sun had set by now and no movement seemed to be coming from the house. Their captors had really put a lot of stock in that stall (and the blindfolds) keeping their prisoners from escaping. Mal was sure they would be furious with themselves in the morning when they saw the folly of such a plan. Not to mention what the real bounty hunters were apt to do to them when they saw that they'd allowed the quarry to escape.

Mal stopped and made to mount up when he noticed that Wash was just standing in silence next to his horse.

"You ready?" he asked his pilot. "We've got to get going if we're gonna have any chance of beating these guys. I'm thinking they won't notice us missing till morning but I don't want to take any chances."

Wash didn't reply right away so Mal lead his horse back and stopped in front of the other man.

"What's wrong?" Mal asked.

"I don't know how to ride," Wash finally admitted with a tad of embarrassment.

"Really?" Mal asked in genuine surprise. Seemed like he couldn't remember a time when he didn't know how to ride and it just hadn't even occurred to him that Wash wouldn't know how as well. He'd figured the other man had protested riding the horses simply because he'd wanted to get away faster. This made things a little more interesting.

"Alright then, let me give you the fastest riding lesson in history," Mal said. He kept the reins of his own horse over his arm and then reached for those on Wash's animal. He quickly showed Wash how to mount up and once the other man was aboard, mounted his own.

"Those things in your hands are called the reins. They're the way you control the direction and also how you slow down," Mal instructed, holding up his own reins as a demonstration. "When you want to go left, you guide the horse's head to the left and the same thing when you want to go to the right."

"Now," Mal was quick to point out. "Don't be yanking on the reins; jerking on your horse's mouth. There ain't no need for that as most of the time they'll be waiting for you to tell them what to do anyway. "

Wash watched attentively and picked up the reins as he was told. He did as Mal instructed and saw that his horse did indeed follow the direction asked for with them.

"When you want to go faster," Mal continued. "You use your legs; they're in charge of the impulsion. Kinda like the engines on Serenity. Just give'em a little squeeze or maybe a kick if necessary and they'll move for you. Then to slow down you just pull back on the reins, nice and gentle."

Wash nodded and asked his horse to move forward with a squeeze of both legs. He was rewarded with a few steps and smiled happily as he got the result he wanted. Mal looked on and nodded approvingly, happy to see his pilot catching on so fast. The learning curve was going to have to be really steep since Mal didn't have time to ease the other man into the art of riding. It was going to have to be a "learn as you go" kind of ride.

"Alright then, let's git on outta here," Mal said and started heading in the direction of the next town. He kept to a walk at first, not wanting to risk their captors hearing the pounding of galloping hooves. Once they had walked a few minutes and appeared to be safely out of earshot, he asked his horse for a gentle trot. He knew that at that gait, the animals could go for hours. Other people might have just galloped off but they wouldn't get as far and not even get there as fast as a horse would need to be rested much more often after galloping.

Wash was caught a little off guard as his horse lurched into a trot behind Mal's mount. He grabbed the horn and held on for all his might, trying his best to find his balance as he was bounced around in the saddle.

Mal finally noticed Wash's discomfort after a minute or so. He hadn't meant to drive the other man so hard his first time in the saddle but the possibility of them both getting themselves dead by Niska had been distracting him just a bit.

"Wash, lean back a bit and sit your rear on that saddle," Mal instructed, indicating his own relaxed seat.

"You know, my rear really isn't in the mood to make any more contact with that saddle," Wash replied through clenched teeth. What was Mal thinking?

"Yeah well if'n you're gonna be all tense like that and leaning forward all that's gonna happen is your gonna bounce harder. Now listen to what I'm tellin' ya son. First off; sit down and sit up straight."

Wash did as he was asked and was immediately sorry as he bounced straight onto an area that really, really didn't enjoy being bounced on like that. Just when he thought that his and Zoe's discussions of becoming parents were about to become moot, Mal spoke up again.

"No, not like that. On your ASS son!" Mal ordered and Wash tipped his hips back so his "front end" wasn't so much on the saddle as his "back end". He noticed the difference right away, though he still was being jarred so hard he thought his teeth were going to rattle straight out of his head any second.

"Alright now try and relax a bit, the stiffer you are the more you're just gonna keep on bouncing. Try and move _with_ the horse, not against him."

Wash was trying really hard not to tell his captain precisely where he could stick his advice and instead just attempted to do what he'd been told. Finally he found a rhythm and was able to follow along with the motions a little bit. It helped and he smiled at the new-found skill.

Mal kept them at a steady pace for over an hour and then stopped to rest the horses, and his pilot as well. He didn't want them to pause too long as he knew it was just a matter of time before their escape was discovered and a posse was on their tail.

The sun rose as they rode down into a small valley and Mal stopped them once again as they crossed a stream. Both men got down and drank as thirstily as their mounts. Wash wasn't sure how much longer he could keep going but he figured that being lame for a while was a damn sight better than being dead for longer so he chose to just ignore the pain in his aching muscles for the moment.

Once the horses had drunk their fill and had some time to rest their backs, they were off again. Though he was sore as all get-out, Wash was actually almost enjoying the ride and had nearly forgotten why they were doing it in the first place. Mal watched out of the corner of his eye as Wash looked around appreciatively at their surroundings, taking in the views and clean air. He knew that Wash had come from a planet where the air was hardly breathable and to be out in the wilderness like they were, was a whole new experience for him.

That's why it really pained Mal to have to tell him that they were being followed. He'd noticed the cloud of dust a while back but hadn't said anything at first. He chose to keep riding forward and kept a look out for any sort of shelter they could use to hole up for a while. Once he spotted a likely place he decided that he was going to have to ruin Wash's morning.

"Wash," he said and watched as Wash reluctantly stopped watching some birds fly by to look at him. "Let's head over to those big rocks, we're gonna need to stop and tie up the horses for a bit."

"Why?" Wash asked.

"Cuz we've got company and we need to greet them appropriately," Mal replied, tipping his head over his shoulder.

Wash looked where Mal indicated and caught sight of the cloud of dust following them.

"That's not good, is it?"

"Nope"

Mal and Wash headed for the outcropping and tied their horses on the side facing away from where their enemy would enter the somewhat sheltered area. They took positions behind the biggest boulders and waited, guns held ready. There was really nothing to say as they both knew what another capture would mean. There would be easy getaway this time if they were caught.

"Shoot whatever moves, got it?" Mal asked and Wash nodded.

As the dust cloud came closer Mal could see that it was just three men, the two men from the barn plus an extra hand, on their trail. That should make things a little easier but he wasn't going to count on anything just yet. The men tracked them easily and rode cautiously towards the outcropping of rocks, rifles held ready.

Mal waited until the men were almost right below them, just before Wash and he would become visible and yelled "Fire!"

The men dove off their horses and headed for cover in the rocks below. Then began a slow game as each group tried to pick off the other, shooting into the rocks and ducking from shots alternately. Mal knew that something like this could go on for days and decided to see if he could get closer.

He never got the chance though as at that moment one of their adversaries had wisely snuck up on them. While his partners had kept Mal and Wash busy firing in the opposite direction, he had made his move. Wash heard the step and turned quickly, firing as he did so.

The gunshots rang out simultaneously and both men fell. Wash had managed to shoot the other man but not before the enemy had gotten off one shot as he fell to the ground. As the man had been sneaking up on them, both shots took place at point-blank range. Wash's shot hit the man in the chest while the other man's shot had gone straight passed Wash's face, the bullet hitting the rocks behind them.

Mal heard the scream behind him at almost the same moment he heard the shots and turned to find Wash bent over with both hands at his face. He was tearing at his eyes and flailing around so fiercely that Mal had to restrain the pilot to keep him from putting himself in the line of fire once again.

"Easy, Wash! Easy now, I got ya" Mal said taking the other man firmly by the shoulders and quickly forcing him down behind a boulder.

"I'm blind, I'm blind!" Wash cried and if Mal could have seen his eyes through the bloody marks from the gun blast he probably would have seen anguish there. Flying was all Wash ever wanted to do and if his eyes were gone then it was pretty much a given that that would be a distant memory.

"No friend you're not blind, you've just been grazed and burned is all," Mal reassured him as he pulled Wash's hands away to get a closer look at the other man's eyes. "Now you just sit here awhile and stay out of the way."

Mal looked around and found Wash's gun on the ground where he'd fallen and quickly went to retrieve it. A few bullets ricocheted off the small canyon at his movement but he was too quick for them. Back at Wash's side he checked the gun and then took one of Wash's hands.

"Here's your gun. It's still loaded and you got four shots left. I've set you up behind a big boulder facing east and I'm gonna be taking cover about eight meters to your right. The bad guys are settin' up to come at us from the west I reckon. So you sit here and if anyone comes a'knockin' you just aim for the noise, ya hear?" Mal said as he put the gun in Wash's hand and watched as the pilot held it correctly there, ready to fire. He was just about to get back to his own cover when Wash grabbed his arm.

"Wait!" Wash said. "What if it's you coming back? I know we've had our differences Mal but Zoe'd kill me if I shot you," Mal caught a wry grin and gave one in return before he realized that Wash couldn't see it.

"I'll call your name before I get anywhere near you. Don't you worry none. I ain't gonna come up on a blinded man with a gun and not let him know it's me. So if someone does come by and is real quiet-like well then you'll know to shoot first and ask questions later, got it?" Mal replied and made ready to get going.

"Okay" Wash said and with his eyes still burning so bad he felt like they were going to drop right out of his head, he waited. He heard Mal scuttle away, a few more shots, then silence.

Feeling utterly alone now Wash strained to hear any noises. Unable to see anything he was stuck in his own blackness and felt like the world had disappeared around him. He touched the ground he sat on and then slid his had onto the boulder he was leaning against and was momentarily reassured by the mere touch of something solid. Being blindfolded was a completely different experience from this and not nearly as frightening. Knowing that the cover would come off his eyes and he'd be able to see was nothing. Sitting here not knowing if he'd ever see again was causing a trembling fear in his gut that wouldn't quit.

Suddenly shots rang out and Wash knew that those were closer than the last. The momentary lull he'd felt was gone and now he was petrified by something new. He wasn't the best shot in a gunfight as it was but without any eyes, he was a sitting duck and he knew it. Mal was busy firing away and Wash fervently hoped that Mal could handle it because he didn't think he'd be much use. Gun or no gun.

That's when he heard something. Straining with all his might and holding his breath Wash struggled to figure out what he'd heard. It was rustling, that much he knew, but from where and from who? These were questions he was afraid to find the answers to but he knew he had to try.

Wash cocked his head towards the sound and concentrated. After a few moments he could pick out individual sounds and knew that what he was hearing were footsteps. Soft ones, to be sure, but still footsteps. He winced when more shots went off as Mal and their attackers continued their fight. He'd been straining to hear so hard that they'd caught him off guard and it had actually hurt his ears.

But silence reigned again and Wash was able to listen for the other sound. The one that no one else seemed to have noticed yet. Again the rustle and again the footstep. _Yep_, Wash thought, _there's no doubt that someone is coming up our left flank_. Either someone was taking a chance or maybe they saw Wash was wounded and was hoping to get the better of both he and Mal.

Wash almost cried out for help from Mal. But a few more exchanged shots quickly disabused him of that idea. Mal had his own hands full and Wash knew that if he anyone was going to stop the intruder it would have to be him. Subterfuge was going to be his best defense so Wash quickly put on a dumb (_well "dumb-ER" anyway_) face and started acting like he didn't hear anything. Truth was that he was scared but not near as much as he was making out to be so he hoped it worked. He made a great show of trembling and looking fearful, rocking back and forth dejectedly and holding his hands to his face in a show of more pain than he actually felt.

It worked. As Wash sat there pretending not to know which end of his gun was up and who to shoot he heard the footsteps come closer. The feet sounded like they were more sure of themselves and he heard them coming faster and not nearly as quietly as before. Still keeping his head turned the opposite direction to the sounds, Wash gently pulled his gun hand behind him. Holding the gun behind him facing the boulder like that, he was sure meant that his movements couldn't be seen. Silently he cocked the hammer and continued to wait.

When he was positive that the footsteps were within just a few feet, he pulled the gun and opened fire on what he hoped was the body belonging to those feet. No shots were returned and once he stopped firing he heard a low moan and the unmistakable thud as a body hit the ground.

He waited anxiously for anything else to happen but after a few moments it was obvious that he had succeeded.


	5. Chapter 5

_Hi all! Not much to say this time. Just been working hard on this chapter and I hope y'all like it. The next one is coming along and hopefully will be up soon! Thanks as always for all the reviews!_

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Mal heard the gunshot behind him just as he finished dealing with one of the other men. His first thought was sheer terror and he was certain that he had just lost his good friend. For as much as he'd tried to give Wash confidence about the situation, Mal had secretly known that if anything had happened, the pilot wouldn't have been able to protect himself.

Mal approached the boulder quietly, his heart pounding in his ears and his adrenaline running on over time. He fully expected to duck from opposing gunfire but as he drew closer, he stopped and peeked around the other side of the rock. What he saw surprised him to no end for there was none other than his very own pilot, sitting with his back against the boulder, gun in hand and looking quite ready to use it again.

"Wash!" Mal called out, not wanting to be the second victim of a blind man in under five minutes. "It's me Mal, I'm coming around so don't shoot me. I really hate it when one of my own crew does that."

Mal saw Wash smile briefly and then lower his gun slowly. "You're lucky you said something, otherwise I damn near _would_ have shot you." As he lowered the gun, Wash could feel his hands shaking from adrenaline and tried to hide it as best he could from the captain.

"I already told you Pilot, I know better than to come up on you quietly. Nice job on that last one by the way." Mal was looking around carefully as he spoke to Wash, his attention on the surrounding terrain. Just because they had only seen those three men didn't mean there wouldn't be more and the captain's attention was now on getting back to their horses (provided the beasts hadn't run off from all the gunfire of course) and getting moving again. No doubt it was going to be a more interesting ride with Wash blinded, but Mal felt prepared for that.

"Alright then, looks like the coast is clear," Mal said, jumping down from the rock where he'd been standing and striding back over to where Wash was sitting. "What say we get out of here?"

Wash didn't reply right away and Mal realized that he'd been silent for the past couple minutes. He walked faster to Wash's side and knelt down beside his crewman. Wash's head was hanging down and Mal noticed for the first time that his breath was now coming in ragged gasps.

"Hey," Mal said with concern in his voice. "You alright?"

Wash turned his face up at him then and Mal saw immediately how much pain his friend was in from his wounds. The shock of the initial injury plus the adrenaline of the gunfight had now worn off and Wash was feeling the full effects of the gun blast. His eyes were agony and try as he might, he couldn't hide it any longer.

"Gorramit," Mal said softly. "Alright son, let's see if we can't help you out. Just hang on, okay? Can you hang on a couple more minutes?"

Through the haze of pain, Wash nodded. Truth was he didn't think he could hold on but he knew he didn't have a choice either.

"Good, I'm getting the horses and our packs. I'll be right back" Mal said hurriedly and then he was off, leaving Wash alone in the darkness and pain once again. Balling his fists into his thighs, he silently rocked back and forth and tried to think about something, anything, other than the pain in his eyes.

True to his word, the captain returned very shortly and Wash heard the clatter of hooves as he returned with the horses. The next thing Wash heard was the captain's boots striding purposefully towards him once again. For some reason he felt better as soon as he heard those boots. He didn't know why, maybe because the pain was too hard to take alone or maybe because the captain seemed so confident that it made Wash feel better too.

"Alright, I think this is gonna help you a tad. Just sit still a minute," Mal said and Wash dutifully sat still, unsure what the captain was about to do but hoping that it would help. Nothing could be worse than what he was feeling already, he told himself.

Mal took out a clean handkerchief from his mount's saddle bags and wetted it with water from one of the canteens. He very carefully cleaned off the worst of the grime the gun barrel had left on Wash's face and when he was finished used another to wrap around Wash's eyes. The cleaning helped a little as some of the gun powder residue had been stinging Wash's skin. Wash backed away from the blindfold at first but Mal admonished him.

"Don't back away from me now, Wash. This here should help as I think keeping the sun out will stop your eyes from straining so much. Hopefully they might just stop hurting you quite so bad."

With that he gently wrapped the kerchief around Wash's eyes and tied it lightly behind his head, careful not to pull too hard. The effect was almost immediate and Wash finally felt his eyes relax for the first time in minutes. The absence of light stopped most of the burning and the pilot breathed a small sigh of relief.

"Better?" Mal asked, leaning back to inspect his work and to look at Wash's face carefully, watching for signs of pain that the other man might be trying to hide from him once again. .

"Yeah," Wash replied. "Much"

Mal could see that Wash wasn't lying as he breathed more quietly and his hands finally began to relax from their tense position on his legs. Mal noticed these subtle changes almost without knowing that he'd done it, his instinct as a leader such that he did these things purely out of habit.

"Alright then, we're gonna have to get ourselves outta here right quick now. You think you can get back up on that horse of yours?" Mal asked, helping Wash to stand. He hated having to push the other man but they were still in danger and they needed to get out of there as soon as possible.

Once Wash was on his feet he felt a little dizzy and gripped at Mal's arm briefly, trying to get his balance. Within a few seconds the earth stopped spinning and he was able to stand on his own. Nodding his head he said, "Yeah let's get out of here before anyone else decides they want to get shot by a blind man."

Mal laughed and led Wash over to his horse. Guiding his hands to the saddle, Mal simply had to show him where everything was and Wash was able to get himself mounted fairly easily. Once back on his horse though, Wash didn't really know what to do next.

"You're not expecting me to steer this thing are you?" Wash asked with a slight laugh, wincing slightly at the pain in his head the laugh had caused briefly.

"Not that that wouldn't be the most amusing part of the last twenty four hours. But no, I'll help you out there son," Mal said and mounted his own horse, Wash's reins held securely in one hand. Leading the other horse carefully, Mal took them out of the rock strewn area and back out into the plains. He really hated being out in the open when he didn't how many people were following them but he also knew that this was the only way to get them back to town.

They rode on for the rest of the day, stopping only when absolutely necessary to rest the horses' backs and to give Wash the occasional breather. Riding without eyes Mal had been sure that Wash would have been throwing up from motion sickness. Mal had seen it happen before in similar situations back on his mother's ranch. Men who'd ridden their whole lives when suddenly denied of their sight would find the motion of a horse just a mite too much for their stomachs to handle.

Other than a few tense moments within the first mile or so of their ride, Wash had been fine and Mal had to assume that it had to do with his training as a pilot. Being able to not only sit through but guide a bucking space ship through some horrible twists and turns had to take an iron stomach. It was true that in the time Wash had been flying for him there had been some near misses with Serenity and while Mal had sat at the co-pilot's chair wishing the skyline would stop spinning, Wash had been able to keep his head and continue to flip switches to get Serenity back on to her intended course

Wash was actually trying his best to pretend that he was training in a flight simulator. It kept the panic that kept threatening to rise in his throat from getting a good hold on him. Because even though he knew it looked to Mal like he was fine, the truth was Wash didn't feel very fine. Stuck in his world of darkness Wash slowly was starting to feel like he was going to lose his mind. Now that he was no longer in as much pain, it was allowing his mind to think thoughts he'd just as soon have disappear. The carefree moments from the morning were long gone and now he was just doing his best to not think about the fact that his current condition could be permanent. There was no way his life could continue as it was if he couldn't see; he knew that beyond a shadow of a doubt. Zoe would still love him of course and he knew he'd still have her but he wasn't sure if he could live without the other love in his life; flying.

Wash could feel the horse's movements beneath his body and thought he felt a change in the way the animal was moving. He found himself becoming curious about where they were and the change in thought process was doing him some good.

"Are we heading downhill a bit?" Wash asked curiously, still trying to keep his mind on anything but the turmoil in his head.

"Yeah," Mal replied, kind of surprised that Wash had noticed as they weren't heading down a steep incline, only a slight downward field heading towards a gulley. The sun was starting to set and Mal had been looking around for a good place to camp. Seeing the gulley up ahead and the glint of water in the waning sunlight, he decided that the protection and the water would be perfect.

"I think I found a place for us to make camp so soon we can all take a rest, us and the horses, and get something to eat. How does that sound pilot?" Mal asked, looking over at the other man. Wash probably thought that he hadn't noticed but the truth was that Mal had been stealing glances at his friend all afternoon. He knew that Wash had to be going through hell and Mal just hoped that he could get them both back to safety soon enough to get Wash the medical attention he needed. Mal may have had issues with Simon but one thing he knew is that he was a good doc. The fact that the younger man had sewed his ear back on had left quite an impression on the captain. He figured that if anyone could save Wash's eyes now, it'd be Simon.

Mal pulled up the horses next to a stream and carefully helped Wash out of the saddle. He settled the other man on a log near the water and set about gathering some fire wood. He knew they were going to need a nice big fire as the nights on this planet could get real cold real fast.

Hearing the other man busily working around him, Wash started to feel more useless than ever. The panic from the ride had slowly begun to let up but now he wanted something to do to keep those thoughts farther at bay. Damning his lack of sight once again, he sighed mightily.

"Mal I feel like a lump on a log…..which I guess is about right considering I AM on a log," Wash said with a wry chuckle, realizing his inadvertent joke. "Do you need any help?"

"Nah don't you worry none now. I got it all in hand. You just sit back and relax a bit and I'll soon have something ready for us to eat. Won't be much more than travel rations but that's better than nothing out here." Mal continued to work as he spoke, unsaddling the horses and seeing to their feed first. His momma and the ranch hands who'd raised him had always taught him that your animals came first. Since they had to carry you around you'd best be making sure they were fed and comfortable before seeing to your ownself. Mal always took that to heart and only after the two horses were duly tended to did he then see to feeding himself and Wash.

He gathered up some firewood and lit the fire easily using matches he had pilfered from the stable. Within moments he had a mighty fine fire going and started rooting around in the saddle packs looking for the pot he'd snatched to boil water. Mal felt like a cup of coffee just might make Wash and him both feel better as there was nothing quite like fresh coffee made over an open fire.

Hearing Mal rustling around the campfire, humming to himself happily, Wash started to relax and let the fear that had been eating at him since the accident continue to drip away. If Mal could be so carefree about their situation then Wash thought maybe he should try and relax some himself. Mal had said they only needed to ride for a day or two and then they'd be safe. One day was already over and when he thought about it that way, it felt like they were almost there. They just had to get through tomorrow and maybe one more day and they would be home free. Also his eyes weren't hurting him near as much as they had been before so he was feeling confident that Simon would be able to fix him up as good as knew.

Yep, everything's going to be just fine, Wash thought to himself as he caught a whiff of the coffee Mal was brewing.

"I don't know if it's the fact that my other senses are all heightened now, but that coffee smells delicious," Wash said appreciatively.

Mal chucked a bit as he made ready to poor the now boiling water into the two mugs he had set on a rock near the fire. "Wash I don't think that blind men's other senses get stronger until maybe they've been that way for a while. I don't reckon a few hours in that condition would quite do it."

"Oh. Well in that case I guess it just means that must be some damn good coffee."

"A'course it is son, this here is MY coffee and you aint lived till you've had my fresh brewed from the…."

Wash listened in alarm as Mal's sentence was cut off by a loud clatter and his easy going words replaced instead by a panicked, pain filled yell. Suddenly Wash again felt trapped in a black world as he found himself unable to do anything to help. Heck, he didn't even know what was happening.

"Mal? What's going on?" Wash asked anxiously. He could hear Mal hissing in pain and heard footsteps around him that scared him for a second, thinking that someone had come into their camp. But then his ears caught the fact that the hissing accompanied the footsteps and that both sounds were walking around him in a circle, over and over again.

"Mal?" Wash said again softly. The captain was hurt but he didn't know how or why so he waited for him to walk it off. As that is what he realized the sound was, it was a man walking round and round in pain. He'd done it himself a time or two, stubbing a toe, burning a hand on the stove. Sometimes walking helped, who knew why, but it did.

"Burned myself. The gorram pot fell and the water got on my hands," Mal finally answered through gritted teeth and Wash heard him stop somewhere to his left. Turning his head instinctively even though he couldn't see, Wash started to get up anyway, wanting to help.

"Sit down," Wash said as he rose, pointing to the rock he had just vacated.

"Wash, you can't do anything to…"

"Sit down, I said," this time it was nothing less than an order and Mal, temporarily dumbfounded by the change in attitude from his crewman, sat.


End file.
